Just You and Me
by perfectromanceinmymind
Summary: April and Jackson have an important conversation. One-shot set in my 'Another Night'/'Ever After' universe. Canon pairings including Mark and NotDead!Lexie.


**This story is set in my 'Another Night'/'Ever After' universe and it came about because there are a ton of new moms and babies in my real life right now, plus the fictional one I created in 'Just Let Me Hold You...' and so I kinda needed a little break from babies. Not this story exactly manages that but it allows me to identify more readily with the characters and so that was a nice change. If you haven't read the other stories, the main things you need to know is that this is a couple years down the road, April & Jackson are married and have been together since just after the college shooting episode in S7, so Jackson never dated Lexie. Who is alive and still with Mark. I think that's the important bits.**

**Hope you enjoy - please let me know! Thanks for reading!**

* * *

"I think," April Kepner Avery said slowly, her face solemn as she sat down, "I think that I am going to have to tell my husband that I'm in love with another man."

From her seat beside April, Lexie Grey Sloan nodded slowly before saying thoughtfully, "I don't know if I'd rush into that confession. You'll have to get the new man's mother's approval first and I'm pretty sure she thinks you're way too old for him."

She managed to keep her voice serious but couldn't stop herself from cracking a smile as April giggled and shifted in the chair to try to get a little bit more comfortable without disturbing the newborn infant in her arms.

From her hospital bed, Lexie gazed at her sleeping son with that exhausted, dazed, exhilarated look that all new mothers seem to have. Christopher Grey Sloan had finally arrived in the wee hours of the morning after an amazingly uncomplicated and totally undramatic labor.

To be honest, it had been a little unnerving for all of them, Meredith, April, Jackson and the rest of them sitting in the waiting room. They were all just so used to operating under the principle of 'everything that can go wrong, will go wrong.'

But, all went smoothly and after quick visits with the new arrival, they had all left the new parents to get some desperately needed sleep. They'd spent the afternoon taking turns visiting – Callie and Arizona bringing Sofia to meet her little brother, Meredith and Derek with Zola to meet her cousin, Cristina and Owen, Alex, Bailey and Ben, the Chief all popping into say hello and now it was April's turn. Jackson had taken his turn holding the baby and then he and Mark had wandered off to get coffee.

"Bummer," April said good-naturedly. "Guess I'll stick with the man I've got."

"Such a sacrifice," Lexie grinned.

"I know, right?" April laughed in response as she reached to grab the baby's tiny little hand. "He is darling, though. Really, Lex, he's beautiful."

"He really is, isn't he?" Lexie said happily. "I'm so glad – some babies just aren't cute, you know?"

"Well, yes, but I don't think you're supposed to say that."

"Oh, whatever. It's one of those things that everyone knows is true but they're afraid to say out loud. But it's true – some babies are funny looking and thank heavens he's not. I know everyone's telling the truth when they say he's cute."

April laughed. "I think you're sleep deprived. Already."

"You know I'm right. Besides," Lexie added, "he's a Sloan. I think it's a genetic impossibility for them to not be attractive. Look at Sofia – she's adorable."

April had to agree but before she could say anything, Lexie was off on the topic she'd been on pretty much since she'd announced her pregnancy just after April and Jackson had returned from their New York City honeymoon.

"Your husband's DNA's not too shabby either. When are you two gonna get it together and give my son a little best buddy to grow up with? Or, actually, considering your family's track record with daughters, give him a future wife?"

April just laughed and shrugged. "Maybe one of these days," she said lightly. "For now, can't we just let Christopher be special on his own?"

Lexie rolled her eyes but dropped the subject as Christopher began to squirm and whimper in April's arms and she passed him off to his mother for his next meal.

* * *

They had all been up way too late the previous night and April had been lucky to grab just a few hours sleep before visiting with Lexie and the baby and then starting her shift. So between that and the 'when are you going to have a baby' conversation still playing in her head, April was in a mood by the time she got home late that evening.

Her crankiness was tempered just slightly by the sight that greeted her – Jackson dozing on the couch, one arm flung across his face. Even after all this time, her heart still did a little bit of a flip when she saw him and remembered again that he was her husband – of all the girls in the world, he'd chosen her. She was lucky.

And she knew they needed to address the baby issue and she really wasn't sure how he was going to react.

He wasn't fully asleep and so the closing of the front door jolted him awake.

"April?" he mumbled as he sat up and she came around the side of the couch.

"Sorry – I didn't mean to wake you up."

Jackson shook his head. "S'okay. Wasn't really asleep." He frowned as he looked at her. "You okay? You look – upset."

"Tired mostly," April replied. "Cranky because of that. But also – I kinda need to – I think we need to talk about something."

"I think I can guess what that might be."

April flushed. "Am I that transparent?"

Jackson shrugged. "Not really, but your closest friend just had a baby. So it kinda makes sense – you want to try to get pregnant, right?"

April took a deep breath and then shook her head. "Actually – no. I mean, I know that's what everyone assumes – they've probably been expecting a pregnancy announcement from us since like the minute we got married, but I - Jackson, I don't think I want to have kids. At all." She bit her lip as she looked at him uncertainly, trying to gauge his response.

Jackson blinked in surprise. Mostly because that was not what he'd been expecting to hear, but also because he felt an odd sense of – well, relief at her words. They'd talked about kids before their marriage, of course, but they'd both been fairly ambivalent about the prospect, choosing to table the decision for the time being and continue to be vigilant about birth control. Ever since Lexie'd gotten pregnant, he'd been expecting his wife to announce a desire for the same thing, but she hadn't and in fact, now that he thought about it, had tended to get pretty quiet when anyone inquired of their baby making plans and activities.

"I'm sorry, Jackson," April was still talking. "I know whenever we've talked about kids, we've always just said, not now, but the more I think about it, especially after watching Lexie these past few months, I really think what I should have been saying is, not ever. I'm so sorry. If you want to divorce me, I understand."

Jackson shook his head. "Always jumping to the worst-case scenario," he said, barely hiding his grin.

April glared at him. "I'm glad you think this is funny."

"I'm sorry – it's just – no one is getting divorced, okay?" Jackson shook his head again. "The truth is – I'm kind of totally okay with it just being us for the rest of our lives."

"Really?" April asked worriedly. "Even though all of our friends have kids and think we're weird because we don't?"

"Um, we don't have to worry about daycare or alternate schedules or diapers or all the rest of that crap, no pun intended. Maybe they're the weird ones. And if we need a kid fix, we've got plenty to borrow – Zola, Sofia, Christopher. A kid can never have too many adults in their lives to care about them. Especially when all their parents are busy surgeons."

There was an odd note in his voice and April knew he was probably thinking of his own childhood. "Will your mom be upset?" she asked cautiously. "You know, not getting grandchildren from you?"

Jackson snorted. "Please. Does my mother look like the baking cookies, reading stories type of grandma to you? As long as there's someone to carry on the Avery name, it's all good. And my brother has a son, so I am off the hook. What about your parents?"

April waved a dismissive hand. "Please. Lib and Kimmie have popped out so many kids between them my parents can barely remember all their names."

Jackson laughed and leaned over to give her a kiss. When they broke apart, April couldn't resist asking once more, "You sure you're okay with this?"

Jackson nodded. "Totally okay. Just you and me."

"You and me," April agreed, feeling a wave of peace wash over her as she curled into his side as he leaned back on the couch. She was truly a lucky woman.


End file.
